Article carrier



United States Patent 3,373,867 ARTICLE CARRIER Prentice J. Wood, Jonesboro, Ga., assignor to The Mead Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 407,779, Oct. 30, 1964. This application May 22, 1967, Ser. No. 640,078

4 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An article carrier of the wrap-around type having top, bottom and sidepanels interconnected to form a tubular structure is provided with end panels which are foldably joined to each end edge of each side wall and which are interlocked along their inner edges. The overall effective width of each pair of end panels at each end of the carrier is somewhat greater than the spacing between the end edges of the side walls so that, when the panels are interlocked and closed, an over-center toggle action is elfected which serves to bias and hold the end panels closed.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 407,779, filed Oct. 30, 1964 and is related in some respects to United States Patent 3,306,519 issued Feb. 28, 1967.

The invention in one form comprises a pair of end panels foldably joined to the end edges of the side walls at each end of a wrapper together with interlocking means for securing the adjacent edges of the end panels together, the effective width of each pair of end panels being somewhat greater than the spacing between the side walls when interlocked so that the end panels are toggled over-center during closing and are thus biased closed by this means.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrap-around type of carrier to which this invention is applicable and which shows closure means constructed according to this invention; FIG. 2, is an end view of the arrangement depicted in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of the arrangement depicted in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank from which the wrapper shown in FIGS. 1-3 inclusive, is formed; and in which FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 55 in FIG. 2.

With reference to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the top panel of the wrapper. A plurality of sunburst openings 2-7 inclusive are formed in the top panel 1 and are for receiving the necks of bottles packaged in the wrapper. These openings 2-7 are provided with radial slits such for example as are designated by the numeral 8. These radial slits provide a plurality of radially disposed bottle cap gripping elements designated in FIGS. 1 and 4 by the numeral 9 and which are arranged to grip the caps of the packaged bottles from underneath. In this way the main panel 1 is securely anchored to the packaged articles. The apertured top panel for receiving the bottle necks is optional. If desired the panel 1 could overlie the bottles. Also formed in the top panel 1 is a pair of finger gripping apertures designated by the numeral 10.

Conforming with the shoulders of the packaged bottles, a pair of top sloping panels 11 and 12 are foldably joined along the weakened fold lines 13 and 14 to the side edges of the top panel 1. A pair of side wall panels 15 and 1 6 are foldably joined to the top slopping panels 11 and 12, respectively, along the weakened fold lines 17 and 18-. Similarly, bottom sloping panels 19 and 20 are foldably joined to the bottom edges of side wall panels 15 and 1-6 "ice along the fold lines 21 and 22 respectively. Formed in bottom sloping panel 19 are the bottle receiving openings 23, 24 and 25. As is well known, bottom portions of the bottles protrude through the openings 23, 24 and 25 which serve to hold the bottles in place within the carrier. In like fashion, the openings 26, 27 and 28 are formed in the bottom sloping panel 20 and correspond to the openings 23, 24 and 25.

' For forming the bottom of the carrier, a pair of bottom panels 29 and 30 are foldably joined respectively to the bottom sloping panels 19 and 20 along the fold lines 31 and 32.

In order to tighten the wrapper about a group of botties to be packaged, a pair of tightening apertures 33 and 34 are formed within the bottom panel 29 and a pair of similar tightening apertures 35 and 36 are formed within the bottom panel 30. As is understood in the art, suitable machine elements enter the tightening apertures 33 and 34 and move underneath the group of articles toward the bottom panel 30. Similar machine elements enter the tightening apertures 35 and 36 and draw the panel 30 toward the bottom panel 29. After the wrapper is suitably tightened, the locking tabs 37-40 formed in the bottom panel 29 are driven through the locking openings defined by the retaining tabs 41-44 formed in the bottom panel 30. Of course the panels 29 and 30 are then arranged in overlapping relationship with the panel 30 disposed on the inside.

For separating the end bottles on one side of the wrapper from the middle bottles, a pair of tabs 45 and 46 are struck from bottom panel 29 and foldably joined thereto along their respective fold lines 47 and 48. In like fashion, tabs 49 and 50 are struck from bottom panel 30 and are foldably joined thereto along fold lines 51 and 52 respectively. Tabs 45 and 46 as well as the tabs 49 and .50 are folded into a position generally normal to the bottom panels 29 and 30 as is shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 3.

For the purpose of forming a closure for the ends of the wrapper as described above and in accordance with this invention, a pair of end closure panels 53 and 54 are foldably joined along fold lines 55 and 56 respectively to the ends of side wall panel 16. Similarly a pair of end closure panels 57 and 58 are foldably joined along fold lines 59 and =60 respectively to the end edges of side wall panel 15. A hooked interlocking tab 61 is formed on the inner edge of end panel '53 while a similar interlocking tab 62 is formed on the inner edge of end panel 54. For receiving the interlocking tabs 61 and 62 so as to form interlocking means for the end panels at the end of the carrier, a pair of slits 63 and 64 are formed respectively in the end panels 57 and 58. As can best be seen in FIGS. -1 and 2 the tab 61 simply slips through the slit 63 from outside so as to secure the end panels 53 and 57 to each other.

Tabs 61 and 62 are provided with double shoulders 61a and 6241 respectively. Thus when the tabs 61 and 62 are inserted into slots 63 and 64 a secure lock is formed which effectively prevents substantial relative movement between panels 53 and 57 particularly in a direction tending to increase the overlapping areas along the adjacent edges thereof. The eifective width of the end closure panels 53 and 57, which is established when tab 61 is fully inserted through slot 63, is somewhat greater than the spacing between the end edges 55 and 59. -In like fashion the spacing between hinge lines 56 and 60 is l ss than the effective width of end panels 54 and 58. Thus as the panels 53 and 57 are closed, an over-center toggle action is accomplished. By this means the panels 53 and 57 are bowed somewhat inwardly of the carrier as is indicated by shade lines at 57a and 53a. This bowing action tends to cause the panels 53 and 57 to conform generally with the curvature of the adjacent bottle and more importantly serves to hold the panels 53 and 57 closed. Should the package tend to skew due'to relative vertical movement between the rows of articles C, the shoulders 61a and 62a effectively maintain the tabs 61 and 62 in the locked condition thereby enhancing the security of the package due at least in part to the fact that the slits 63 and 64 and the planes of panels 57 and 58 are generally parallel to the edges of articles C and the shoulders 61a and 62a are thus disposed to interlock with one or the other end of the slots 63 and 64.

As can best be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the end panel 53 is configured to conform with the adjacent portions of the wrapper as is the end panel 57. For example, end panel 53 is bevelled as indicated at 69 so as to conform generally with the disposition of top sloping panel 13 Likewise end panel 53 is bevelled as indicated at 70 so as to cause the panel 53 to conform generally with the bottom sloping panel 20-. Similarly, the end panel 57 is bevelled at 71 and 72. End panels 54 and 58 are constructed in a manner to cause those panels to conform to the opposite end of the carrier.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A carrier for packaging two rows of articles whose axes are disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another, said carrier comprising a tubular structure disposed about the two rows and having top, side, and bottom sections disposed in close contact with the articles and having a cross sectional configuration determined at least in part by the shape of the articles, end panels foldably joined to the end edges of said side sections at at least one end of the carrier, interlocking means adjacent the inner edges of said end panels for securing said end panels together in partially overlapping relation, said interlocking means being effective when interlocked to limit relative movement between said end panels in the direction increasing their overlapping relation and thereby to establish the effective width of said end panels and said effective width being sufficiently greater than the spacing between the end edges of said side sections so as to establish an over-center toggle action when said end panels are interlocked and closed whereby said end panels are biased inwardly of said carrier toward closed position.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the articles are so configured in cross section that said end panels tend to conform to the outer surfaces of the adjacent articles when toggled over-center and into closed position.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein an interlocking tab having oppositely disposed shoulders is formed on one of said end panels and a slot is formed in the other of said end panels for receiving said interlocking tab.

4. A carrier according to claim 3 wherein said slot and the plane of said interlocking tab are disposed in generally parallel relationship with the axes of the articles whereby said shoulders on said tab are effective to aid in holding said end panels closed when the articles in one row move in a direction parallel to the axes thereof and relative to the articles in the other row.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner. 

